What were your favorite foods growing up?
Roasted chicken and Haribo Gummy Bears.

When did you decide you wanted to be a chef?
When I was 15-years old

Where and when did your career in food begin?
Hotel Zum Hirschen in Parsberg, Germany

If you didn't become a chef, what would you be?
There was no plan B. Maybe I would have become a farmer if it didn't work out.

Who/what shaped your cooking the most over the years?
Diners in New York City are incredibly refined and accepting of worldly cuisine. Gray Kunz taught me the importance of precision and how to incorporate spice into my cooking.

What are your favorite culinary weapons in the kitchen?
Pickled jalapeños, pork belly, red bell pepper, immersion blender and spoons

What influences your cooking style and particularly the menu at your restaurant?
Intense and interesting flavors from all over the world are great influences. I incorporate traditional cooking techniques with Thai influences.

What is your favorite secret ingredient?
The addition of salt, sugar, cayenne, and lemon juice balances dishes and makes them interesting. Pickled jalapeños also add extra intrigue.

What is the one rule or value you try to instill in all of your staff?
Enjoy what you do and live life to the fullest each day. Treat the restaurant and your colleagues as if they were members of your family.

If I'm trying to watch my weight and I'm eating at your restaurant, what am I ordering to eat?
Lobster Wonton, Shiitake Mushrooms, Edamame, Yakitori glaze, Salt Stone Grilled Prawns (kaffir remoulade), Coriander-dusted swordfish skewers with red pepper chutney, Nova Scotia halibut in an eggplant, curried shallots, red pepper-carrot emulsion, Grilled chicken breast corn stew, jalapeño, tamarind emulsion.

What was the most challenging meal you had to make? Why?
A walk-in party of six on New Year's Eve that wanted a six-course, vegan tasting menu. We made several great dishes that night, but the butternut squash juice and green asparagus with ginger vinaigrette stand out in my mind.

What was your worst restaurant disaster?
After opening lunch at Grayz, the ansul system (sprinklers) were set off in the kitchen three days in a row. We lost our entire mise en place that took days to assemble and an induction cook top. We had to seat our lunch guests at the last minute. Many guests returned all three days.

What is your least favorite food?
Any food prepared without love and conscious thought. If great care is put into your cooking, the food tastes good. It's important to have a clear perspective.

What is your beverage of choice?
Schneider Weiss Bier

What are some recent dining and culinary trends you have observed?
Organic products are really in favor. We are seeing a lot of things from decades past reintroduced. All of our comfort foods are being reinvented. Chefs are also being more creative while using less-expensive products (i.e. pork belly is more prevalent, while caviar and truffles are not used as frequently). The idea is to use and prepare the same ingredients a home cook would use, but with a different technique.

When you are not eating at your own restaurant... where are you eating?
Blue Ribbon and Sushi Seki

Which foreign country inspires your style most?
Thailand

What was the most spectacular meal you have ever had?
It is too difficult to rank experiences that are all meant to be unique. I just love the heart behind cooking.

What is your best cooking tip for a home enthusiast?
Don't overcomplicate things.

What do you eat when you are home?
Pasta all'olio